Meet the Marauders
by mysticalflute
Summary: Fred's in for a surprise when he arrives in the afterlife. Warning: Contains a bit of swearing.


_"I don't think I've heard you joke since you were – "_

Fred didn't know what happened after that. He remembered something heavy, and he remembered an explosion, but… everything now felt empty. Like something was missing from his life.

Life… was that what he was missing?

The man groaned, opening his eyes before flinching at the bright, almost too bright, light. Looking down at his clothing, he found it perfectly fine – like when he'd put them on this morning. That was wrong. He knew there was a rip on the left knee.

"George?!" he called, looking desperately for his brother. "Percy? Ron?!"

"Fred."

Fred's heart sank when the voice registered with him.

"Oh bloody hell, you shouldn't be here _now_."

Shit. Shit fuck _no_.

"I'm dead?"

He didn't even turn around.

"Freddie… let us see you."

"I'm dead…" he whispered, clutching his sides like if he didn't, he'd float away. Of course, he'd already floated away. Technically.

"Fred…"

"I left him behind. I swore I'd never leave him behind! We were supposed to go together – like you!"

Finally Fred stood, facing his uncles.

Gideon and Fabian looked back at him, sad smiles on their identical faces. Identical in every way, like he and George – well, until George lost his ear the night they moved Harry to the Burrow.

"We're so sorry Fred," Gideon told him. "But it's time to move on."

Fred blinked as the scenery changed around him, to more of a home-like structure.

"What was that?"

"You were at the welcome gates… now you're free to meet everyone you missed," Fabian explained. "Like, say – "

"Moony, Padfoot and Prongs?" Gideon finished.

Fred stared at his uncles. How the hell… was that possible? How did they know about the Marauder's Map?

The door opened, and Fred stared at who entered the room.

Remus, Tonks, Sirius, and two people Fred didn't know – but could only assume were Harry's parents. The man had unkempt black hair and large glasses, just like the man who had captured his sister's heart, and the woman had bright red hair and green eyes.

Harry's eyes.

It took all of his self-control to not faint flat on the floor.

"Remus, Tonks," he managed. "They got you too?"

The bubblegum pink haired woman nodded. "Yes… seems dear old Aunt Bellatrix didn't appreciate her half-blood niece marrying a werewolf…"

Fred swallowed tight. "I'm sorry. Your son – "

"Will have Harry, Tonks' family, and your family to tell him all about his parents," Remus said. "He'll know we didn't want to make him an orphan."

Fred nodded slowly.

"So, Padfoot, this is the boy you were telling us about then?" Harry's father said, moving over to Fred with a wide smile. "So glad to know you Fred. I'm James Potter, but you can call me Prongs."

"Padfoot…? Prongs…?" he whispered, his eyes darting around the room, looking for someone unfamiliar. Finding none, his eyes widened. "You?"

Sirius laughed. "Hello Fred. I'm Padfoot."

"I'm Moony," Remus said quietly, a calm smile on his face.

"YOU TWO WERE PART OF THE MARAUDERS AND YOU DIDN'T TELL GEORGE AND I?!" the man exclaimed, disbelief clear on his face. "George would kill to know that…"

Remus and Sirius went quiet.

"Fred…" Tonks finally murmured. "I'm sure if Sirius and Remus had time, they would have told you the truth…"

His eyes darted between Remus and Sirius, who looked incredibly guilty.

"She's right," Sirius said. "But you're right too. We should have told you. We're so sorry Fred. You and George were so much like us. It wasn't fair to keep that from you."

Fred looked down.

He would never be able to share this joy with George.

"But wait…" he finally said, something dawning on him. "There were four names on the map. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Who's Wormtail?"

The name seemed to spark something in the others, though Fred couldn't tell what it was.

"Wormtail…" Lily started slowly, "was better known in life as Peter Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew? The man that ratted you out?" Fred asked, staring. "I thought you were friends."

"So did we," Sirius said, his face grim. "If it wasn't for me asking Lily and James to switch secret keepers, Voldemort never would have found them. Pettigrew was a coward and a traitor to the name Marauder."

"You… ah, might know Pettigrew as a different name, Fred," Remus said, looking at him with a slight grin. "Scabbers, ring a bell?"

His brother's rat had been an illegal animagus.

Fred could only stare.

Lily chuckled and squeezed James' shoulder before her face turned worried. "James, Remus, Sirius… Harry needs us."

That had his mind working again.

"Harry? Wait, what's wrong with him?" he asked as James, Lily, Sirius and Remus began fading.

"It's okay Fred," Tonks said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Harry just needs a little encouragement. That's all."

"How do you know that?"

The woman chuckled. "Oh Fred… there's a lot you need to learn about the afterlife."


End file.
